brokenswordfandomcom-20200213-history
Catalonia
__FORCETOC__ Catalonia, “The foothills of the Pyrenees”, is an autonomous community of Spain. It is first seen during the introduction of story in The Serpent’s Curse. This is where Tiago Marqués’ family home is located, The Castell dels Sants. Catalunya is designated a "nationality" by its Statute of Autonomy. It is bordered by France and Andorra to the north, the Mediterranean Sea to the east, and the Spanish regions of Aragon and the Valencian Community to west and south respectively. The official languages are Catalan, Spanish and Aranese (an Occitan dialect). Another important location in the adventure within Catalonia is Montserrat, a multi-peaked mountain located near the city of Barcelona. It is well known as the site of the Benedictine abbey, Santa Maria de Montserrat, which hosts the Virgin of Montserrat sanctuary. 'Etymology' The name Catalunya (Catalonia) began to be used as homeland of "Catalans" (Catalanenses) in the late 11th century, probably used before as a mere territorial area in reference to a group of counties that comprised part of the March of Gothia and March of Hispania under the control of the Count of Barcelona and his relatives. The origin of the name, Catalunya, is subject to diverse interpretations because of a lack of evidence. (Catalan: Catalunya; Occitan: Catalonha; Spanish: Cataluña) 'Broken Sword: The Serpent's Curse' In 1937, during the Spanish Civil War, a group of soldiers allied with the Fascists break into the family house of Xavier Marqués, Tiago Marqués' father, bringing their bloody war to his house. Commanded by Gehnen, the militaries smashed everything in their path searching for something. After taking “La Maledicció” and warning his family to leave the property, Xavier Marqués along with his friend Hernandez try to prevent Gehnen from getting his hands on the painting. Hernandez, with a gun in hand, shoots every soldier at sight while Marqués heads to the library looking for a way out the house. Unfortunately, they are shot to death like animals before they manage to escape. Gehnen’s men search their bodies and find the valuable canvas. Years later, after the incidents that took place in Le Lézard Bleu art gallery, George and Nico are able to decipher some of the secrets masked inside “La Maledicció”. The painting happens to be coded map to the location of the Tabula Veritatis, an ancient artefact which Father Simeon had claimed could raise de Devil. And for which he, and others, had already been murdered. The map guides them to Catalonia, particularly to the Castell of Sants, where “La Maledicció” was first seen. Later in the story, George, Nico and Eva (Tiago's daughter) discover that the exact location for the Tabula Veritatis is in Montserrat. Unfortunately, Richard Langham (now exposed as Gehnen’s grandson) is able to hear their conversation. He kidnaps Tiago Marqués and takes him to Montserrat in hopes of finding the treasured artifact. What Langham doesn’t know is that the Tabula is well hidden inside the Santa Cova chapel located down the hill of Montserrat. 'Quotes' *Nico: “The mountains made a magnificent backdrop. Shame the place was left to fall apart.” *George: “Montserrat was up in the mountains. A major tourist destination, but we weren't there as tourists. We had an old man to rescue - and an ancient tablet to find. And standing in our way was a cold-booded killer.” *Eva: “This place is normally full of tourists.” : George: “I don't like the look of this one bit.” 'Gallery' ' Castell 1.png|Castell dels Sants, Marqués' family home. Monserrat view.png|Montserrat, Catalonia. Santa cova chapel exterior.png|Santa Cova Chapel in Montserrat. ' Category:Broken Sword: The Serpent's Curse Category:Catalonia, Spain Category:Country Category:City Category:Location